Hello everyone,

I need help with a chronic cough case. What's interesting about it, the woman has stabbing pain in her back when she's coughing (right side, about 10 inches above the waist). Feels like a pulled muscle on pressure. Certain movements cause pain too. It doesn't hurt when she is not moving.

The cough is of a 5-6 month duration. It is dry, caused by tickling in the sternum, worse morning and night.

The last remedy I gave her, Hep-sulph, seemed to help a lot with the cough (although not completely), but looks like aggravated back pain.

Any ideas? Wait and see? Thank you

Dry cough, cough causes pain, worse movement or motion, sounds like Bryonia, maybe you can try that.

Snoopy

Hi Sherhan, I actually also pulled a muscle coughing. It was extremely painful especially with movement. It was just to the right of middle and just below rib cage. It was a bruising, somewhat sharp pain. The cough itself was also as you described, and worse at night and early morning. I took Arn (over bry) and the pain was literally gone in a few hours. Not sure if that helps. As for the cough, I think it was going on its own anyways, but it didn't seem to return after arn either.

[ 30. January 2003, 19:41: Message edited by: kkrista ]

Snoopy, kkrista, thank you. I've actually thought about Bry. and Arn. too. Her back started hurting quite a while ago so I'm not sure Arn. is good at this point. But, on the other hand, if we look at it as an overexertion from coughing...

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like things like, whatever one may ail; there is certain help (Goethe)

And I had an unbelievably painful intercostal muscle strain which I was told would take weeks to go by the allopaths and it was gone in a couple of days with Bryonia. I was led to that because it was fine when still and painful on inspiration etc.

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RSHom - Registered Homeopath

I gave her Bry. 30C about 4 hours ago. Her office is down the hall from mine, so I can hear her cough. She's been coughing much less than in the morning for the last 2 hours or so. Didn't have a chance to ask about her back before she left. We'll see tomorrow. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again.

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like things like, whatever one may ail; there is certain help (Goethe)

Sheran,

One dose of a 30C may not be enough. Usually a good rule of thumb in acutes is:

3 or 4 times a day for 2 or 3 days.
Stop if there's a striking improvement.
Stop if there's an aggravation.
If there's gradual improvement, take less often as the improvement increases.
Take more often if the improvement slows down.

Best method of dosing is:

Put the remedy in water, best would be a small bottle of spring water, half filled.
Shake before each use to slightly raise the potency each time, as it says in The Organon.
This is more potent than dry-dose prescribing and you greatly eliminate certain pitfalls such as accidental provings or antidoting of previous doses.

Snoopy

You are absolutely right, Snoopy. She felt much better all day long yesterday but slid back today. We'll go with 30C in water today and over the weekend and see what happens. Have a great weekend.

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like things like, whatever one may ail; there is certain help (Goethe)

Hi Ricky,

Of course you can use dry doses, but let me give you 2 experiences, well OK, just one, to keep from taking up too much time, where I repeated a dry dose, 30C, in an acute; OK, 2 cases, but that's final! OK, case 1: Headache.
Ignatia 30C. I said to myself, "Hmm, it's been a long time since my last dose of Ignatia, I think it's about time I took another one." I took the dose and it proceeded to completely antidote the previous dose which had been working.

Case 2: My friend's mother was in the hospital, post-surgery nausea, and Phos. 30C was doing well to control it. My friend was naturally worried about what would happen after she left, should the nausea return. Soooo, she thought, I better give my mother another dose of Phos. 30C cuz I have to leave now, and I don't know if I'll be here if and when she needs a dose again. Well guess what happened? You guessed it! The second dose antidoted the first dose, the nausea came back, and then neither one of them knew what to do!

So, I always say, take the first dose dry if you want to, but put the second dose in water, either shake or stir vigorously to alter the potency--and it's right in the Organon--so that the vital force will continue to accept the remedy, and do that before each additional dose.

Snoopy

[ 01. February 2003, 04:12: Message edited by: Snoopy ]

It needs 30C 3 or 4 times a day. When you are dealing with an acute problem the remedy will be used up quickly and therefore there shouldn't be a problem about proving the remedy. For an acute I use dry doses.

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RSHom - Registered Homeopath